DARKNESS

𝟎𝟏 - 𝟏𝟖𝟔𝟒

Vampires. Just a myth right? Scary stories made to frighten kids at sleepovers and made for a good story. But what If I told you it's all real. It all began in 1864, or at least it began than for young Iris Salvatore.

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Iris remembered the day clearly, It was her ninth birthday and she practically leaped out of bed in excitement. Iris ran down the stairs as she could see Damon waiting at the bottom of the stairs and she jumped in his arms in excitement. "Happy ninth birthday rissy!" Damon exclaims, "14 more years and you'll be my age" he adds with a wink as Iris giggles in excitement to grow up to be as big and strong as her brothers.

"And in 8 more years you'll be my age" Stefan says, walking into the room. Damon at the time was 23 years old, out of high school and Stefan was 17 years old at the time. Iris runs to Stefan as he embraces her in a tight hug and carries her over to the lounge room and plops her down on the couch as Damon places two presents infront of her.

"This one's from me" Damon says with a smile as he hands Iris a perfectly wrapped present. Iris rips open the paper as she holds out a football, "so we can play catch later" Damon says with a wink as Iris shoots up and wraps her hands around her oldest brother. "I LOVE IT!" She yells as Damon laughs and places her back down, "you still have my present ris" Stefan says as he hands her another present.

Iris opens the box to find a beautiful dress folded neatly as her mouth falls in a gasp, "a pretty girl needs a new pretty dress" he says with a wink as Iris hugs Stefan tightly. "Katherine helped me pick it out" Stefan adds with a smile.

"Alright go get changed and meet us in the front yard where we can test out your new ball" Damon says as Iris nods her head before bolting up the stairs and quickly pulling the new dress over her as she puts her hair in a pony tail and runs outside to the front yard.

"Ok so you stand in the middle and you have to try get the ball from Stefan and I" Damon explains and Iris nods her head, egear to start playing. Stefan throws the ball to Damon as Iris runs after Damon and chases him through the garden. Just as Iris is about to tip Damon she sees Katherine walk into view. "KAT!" She yells out before running to her and embracing her in a hug.

Katherine laughs as she hugs the young girl back in a tight embrace, "happy birthday darling" she says with a warm smile, "do you want to play with us?" Iris asks, "I promise later, right now I have something to attend too. But save some fun for me" Katherine replies as Iris nods her head, "oh! And before I go" Katherine says as Iris turns back around to face her, "happy birthday" she says as she hands Iris a beautiful blue necklace with silver detailing, matching to hers, "now we're matching, but you have to promise me you will never take it off" Katherine says as she holds it out to Iris by the chain, careful not to touch the pendant for some reason. "I promise" Iris says with a smile as she puts the  necklace on, it has some kind of herb smell to it but she dosent ask any questions as Katherine has to go, "I'll see you later birthday girl" Katherine says as she places a kiss on Iris's forehead before giving a glance to both the Salvatore brothers.

Damon runs up to Iris after Katherine walks off and hands her the ball, "alright now Stefan and I will try get the ball from you" Damon says as Iris nods her head before taking off in a run. A couple minutes later of running Iris stops as she sees Giseuppe Salvatore, their father, standing infront of her. He has always been tough on Iris, Damon and Stefan, occasionally hitting them but he was always more rough and strict with Iris. "What have I told you about running around in the yard" her father yells as she steps back, in the middle of Stefan and Damon. "Father it's her birthday" Stefan realises, "she is a young lady, she is not a little boy" Giuseppe snaps back, "it was my Idea father" Damon says as Gisuppe grips Iris's hand and drags her to his side, "your comming with me, you boys get cleaned up" Gisuppe orders as Iris feels tears come to her eyes. As their father drags her away she looks at her brothers as Stefan is looking back at her with an apologetic look and Damon is staring Daggers into the back of their fathers head as he drags their sister away.

"I told you no playing outside!" Gisuppe yells as he roughly pushes Iris into her room, "you stay in here until dinner." He orders. "But it's my birthday" Iris mutters as Gisuppe turns his head back to face his daughter. "You are not to speak back to me!" He yells in anger as he slaps Iris across her face before slamming the door shut and walking off. Iris curls up in a ball in the corner of her room as she waits until dinner.

A couple hours later Iris looks out her window to see the whole town running around frantically with fire sticks and all sorts of weapons. She rushes to the door but as she flings it open she is met with Damon. "Dames! What's happening?" She yells as Damon comes into the room and closes the door behind him. "You need to say in here. Do not leave" he says in a serious tone, "why what's wrong" Iris questions, "I'll tell you everything later, I swear. But promise me you'll stay in here" Damon says as Iris nods her head before he places a kiss on her forehead and rushes out of the room.

After two more hours of waiting and crying, Iris hears two loud gun shots as she decides she has had enough. She runs out of the house and through the front yard to see two bodies laying on the ground. As she walks closer she notices who the people are, her brothers. She runs to Damon's side first as she cups his face and cries in his chest before running to Stefan and trying to shake him to wake them up. "HELP SOMEBODY HELP PLEASE" She yells out between uncontrollable screams, just as she is about to yell something else out, someone's hands cover her moth from behind. She turns to see Katherine as she stares up at her. "Sh sh sh Iris please" Katherine begs, "I don't have much time but you need to listen to me" Katherine says as Iris nods her head with tears running down her face.

"Your bothers are going to be okay, they are going to come back, as vampires" Katherine explains, "v-vampires?" Iris strutters as Katherine nods her head, "look. Your going to leave Mustic falls, run now, to the border where a witch called roassana will instruct you what to do from then" Katherine explains, "but listen to me Iris. Don't look for your brothers, I'll tell them where you are and they will come for you, I promise" Katherine explains as Iris nods her head, "now run" Katherine says as she places a kiss on her forehead and Iris takes off running. Little did she know that the next time she came back to Mystic falls it would be over a century later. And she would be a vampire.